Titanium-containing alloys find a broad range of applications in areas where low weight and strength are required, such as aerospace and military uses, as well as corrosion resistance and heat applications, including use in turbine blade jet engine parts, high speed cutting tools, and so on. Molybdenum is known to be difficult to diffuse uniformly in titanium, because of its higher melting point and higher density, which causes molybdenum-rich particles to drop to the bottom of a molten titanium pool where they sinter into agglomerates and form inclusions in the ingot produced. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,910. The same problems of getting molybdenum to homogenize with titanium are also experienced with columbium, which like molybdenum, is also highly refractory.
Matters are further complicated in that titanium alloys require relatively tight chemistries, and often the chemistry of the desired master alloy is poorly compatible with the homogenous alloying of the various components, due to differences in component solubility, melting point, density, etc. Furthermore, the chemistry of the alloy is frequently dictated by the alloying process used.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide molybdenum/titanium alloys which may be readily formulated to be substantially free of high molybdenum inclusions.
Another object of the invention is to provide columbium/molybdenum/titanium alloys which may be readily formulated to be substantially free of columbium inclusions.
Still another object of the invention is to produce an alloy having relatively low aluminum.